The poems in Gail Wronsky's collection are inhabited by the ghosts of the forgotten. Desdemona, Walt Whitman, and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz haunt the pages of the book, challenging silence and silencers. In those moments the sublime rises from the ordinary in sequences like "The Earth as Desdemona." The book is filled with surprise: a lawn chair becomes a cubist chicken, hieroglyphs appear in the sky. Wronsky's "Dying for Beauty" mixes elegance with outrageousness. The language that bridges these two sensibilities reveal the blessings of music.

Seeing this book on your list is a special treat for me because I happen to be one of Professor Wronsky's students at Loyala Marymount University in Los Angeles. She desrves all of the credit towards her book because she is a brilliant English professor who has a love and deep appreciation for what she teaches.

I'm ashamed to say that I have not read more of Gorey before this. After reading The Epileptic Bicycle, however, I cannot wait to read more. The illustrations are truly endearing, the words short and sweet. You can flip through the book in all of five minutes, but will be chuckling all the while.

This book, the first I remember reading by Edward Gorey, is hysterical!! The story follows a plot that only the author could understand, but that all readers can enjoy. This book is quite different from everything else out there and kept me laughing throughout the 20-odd pages.

A volume required for US Virgin Island vascular plant enthusiasts and professionals. Exquisite line drawings and botanical descriptions. Excellent reference for St. Thomas and St. John. A good reference for Buck Island and St. Croix.

This Flora is a joy to work with. The keys are logical and clear and Bobbi Angell's illustrations are a treasure. I really appreciated the abundance of illistrations too. The attention payed to ecological characters adds to the value of this book. Overall, an excellent piece of work.

In "Kate's Challenge", 16-year-old Kate Wiley and one of her good friends, Dara Cooper, are leaving their home state for a month to attend Langwald's Training Camp in Vermont. While there, Kate is pushed to her limit by Tommy Langwald (aka "Fangwald", the instructor and owner of the estate), who not only gives Kate a hard time (though he is just as hard on some of his other students), but uses his crop on her horse, Night Owl, at one point in the story. This final action causes Kate to reconsider whether or not she wants to remain at Langwald's, despite her longtime dream of being an Olympic equesterian.

In addition to her problems with Langwald, Kate has to deal with Trevor Williams, one of her classmates who has a crush on her. Kate feels something for him in return, but she also has a boyfriend back in Connecticut. Will Kate remain loyal to Pete (her boyfriend), or will her newfound feelings for Trevor override that relationship?

The one part of the book I began to have my doubts about was concerning Casey O'Connell, another of Langwald's students, who begins to develop an eating disorder halfway into the book. While this story line could have turned into a poor example for young girls by showing that starvation is the only way to make you happier and more likable, the author thankfully avoided this mistake by creating a more acceptable resolve to Casey's overindulgence.

Overall, I thought "Kate's Challenge" was a great book for preteen girls. This series is also ideal for horse lovers. There's a glossary in the back of the book (which is customary in all Blue Ribbon books) with equestrian terminology, something I'd recommend more novice readers peruse beforehand if you're unfamiliar with horses; otherwise, you might find yourself flipping back and forth through the book.

I love this book !!! I love eventing and I had the exact same thing happen to me as my horse was going to go much higher !!! But I wish Kate would realise that Northern Spy was the horse 4 her!!

this book is filled with personal correspondence between a pennsylvania farmer and england in the first years of America. A wonderful journey thru time . Filled with details of life and the area and the wonders of america . Written in the words and style of a lost time . From the way he writes about his wifes daily chores to the hardship tragedy and beauty of his new home you can not but feel you are truly getting letters from a friend . fabulous read

These original essay length letters composed by an intelligent and imaginative immigrant offer us a fascinating glimpse into life in early America. The letters chronicle his travels across the thirteen colonies in the years leading up to the revolution. With pathos and humour he gives us an intimate look at family life in the whaling ports of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard. We visit with John Bertram, the celebrated botanist on his Pennsylvania farm. We are escorted through the middle colonies to Charelston for a first hand look at the opulent lifestyle of the planters. Our guide points out the absurdities he confronts while chronicling the beauty and diversity of the natural landscape. This book provides a wonderful and historic experience.

I thought this was an excellant book. All 3 stories were well written. The connection to the community of Whitehorn was minimal, especially compared to other books in the Montana Mavericks series. At the same time these 3 stories stand on their own. They don't need the background of previous books in the series. If I had any complaint about the books was that the stories were too short. I like the characters of Suzanna, Diana, & Isabelle and wanted to read more about them.

I loved this new Silhouette anthology. Christine Rimmer and Jennifer Greene's stories are both contemps about two sisters, Suzanna and Diana.

Suzanna's wedding day had one small snag . . . no groom. She eases her aching heart with one wild night fling with a cowboy. A few months later it becomes obvious she's carrying his baby and Suzanna finds herself married to a stranger, a stranger she's falling in love with.

Diana's come home to Montana, and falls in love with a little girl, a little girl who just so happens to be the daughter of Diana's first love. When Trey asks her to marry him is it just for his daughter's sake, or could there be another, deeper reason?

Cheryl St. John's contribution, ISABELLE, is a historical that introduces Diana and Suzanna's great-great-grandmother. After her father's death, Isabelle returns to the Big Sky Ranch, determined to build a life for herself. But the ranch is in debt and there's only one option Isabelle can find -- marry Kyle Running Horse Brennan. Can a marriage that begins for practical reasons turn into something more . . . can it turn into a life-long love that will set the standards for generations of Big Sky Brides?

The three stories are a good fit, and a fantastic read! I'm looking foward to reading the rest of the Montana Mavericks series!

Great book! Elegantly produced book of poems by one of the best poets writing today. The poems are subtle, sensuous yet wholly accessible. David St. John is a poet who feels things passionately and makes the reader feel them, too. Photographs are incredible, too.

PRISM is an absolutely gorgeous book -- amazing poetry by one of the best poets writing today.  It has dozens of elegant, eloquent sonnet-length poems by David St. John plus 16 full-color photographs by Lance Patigian.  But, still, the book has humor and plenty of (yes!) old-fashioned romance and sentiment.  Many of the poems are love poems; and all of them are about colors in one way or another.  This is a book you can pick up, open, and begin reading anywhere.  A great book to read aloud to a friend or lover.  I'm going to buy several more copies to give away as Christmas gifts!

Ran Knishinsky has created a very thorough reference books here! Each subtopic is carefully explained and the alternative therapies are explored and explained in a way that makes so much sense. I recommend this book to people I know who are wrestling with the ravages of our stressfull lives. The site, PapaNature, corroborates Knishinsky's documentation and offers enough high-quality choices for all of the products mentioned in Knishinsky's book. PapaNature has links to textual documentation as well as good service and diverse products.

This author presents a very well balanced, objective view on natural supplements as an alternative to drug treatment. Phenomenal book! Covers a whole range of subjects from depression, herbs and the health food industry, prescription drugs, St.John's wort, homeopathy, kava, Fish Oils, B vitamins, DHA, and more. The research is great. Everything here is carefully footnoted and the author makes certain that the reader gets a good understanding of herbs and their biological effects. Over 200 Endnotes. Great resource section.

This is a marvellously well-done little book whose only (minor) fault is that it skimps a bit on information about the animals themselves; facts about their diet, reproduction and behaviour are condensed into a paragraph each. Instead, we have a field guide worthy of the name that tells you where and how to find reptiles in northwestern North America and how to identify them, and that provides very good subspecies data (a rare thing nowadays), excellent range maps, and beautiful photography. Most enjoyable are the field notes at the end of each species description, in which the author tells a story about finding the animal in question in the wild (often so that it could be photographed for this book). This feature alone makes this book one of the most unique field guides I have encountered in years, and reminds us that a field guide is really about encountering and interacting with animals in the field -- and this point is ably illustrated by the often-funny photos of snakes dangling off someone's ear or lizards biting someone's hand. Highly recommended.

Reptiles are one of the most successful classes of animal that inhabit the earth. They occur in almost every climate and it should be no surprise that the Pacific Northwest has its share of fascinating reptiles. There are 42 species of reptile found from British Columbia to Northern California and Reptiles of the Northwest by Alan St. John is the guide to them. Comprehensive, with brilliant photographs, it is simply a must-own for not only budding herpetologists but naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Reptiles of the Northwest by Alan St. John has an easy to access and understand quick reference guide and detailed introduction to reptiles and herpetology. Each species of Northwest reptile is given a complete introduction with detailed description and information on its distribution, habitat and behaviour. What sets Reptiles of the Northwest by Alan St. John apart from other field guides are the 6 beautiful and informative color photos of each species and the informative and whimsical field notes describing each reptile. These are accounts of encounters Alan St. John has had with these reptiles and they give the reader experiences that you don't find in the average field guide. They are filled with the author's wonder and joy in these creatures, written with humour and warmth in a casual biographical style.
This is a special field guide. Its soft cover allows for ease of slipping into any backpack enabling one to take advantage of the great inclusion of the Northwest Reptile Life list note pages. Reptiles of the Northwest by Alan St. John is definitive and comprehensive It is a unique field guide to unique animals.

At last, a sexy romantic hero with morals! Impossible? No. Refreshing? Yes. Joshua is in love with Addie, and determined to do the right thing. Addie, however, doesn't want anything to do with him. At first. This book is great fun, with bad guys and mystery and of course, romance. (Check out the scene on the front porch.)

I liked this book, because here, the man has already changed his life, for himself, not for a woman. But he finds the right woman, who makes his life complete. Very refreshing. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance.

This was the first book of Cherly's that I read.....that was all it took. Now I am hooked. It was a story like no other I had read. It was a story filled with love, danger, and intrigue......it just touches the heart and sets fire to the soul. Cheryl is a talented lady and it was this book, which I read when i was 15 that inspired me to write my own novel, she has a talent that is not always found in most novels..a talent that keeps me hooked from page one. I cannot for anything...even to eat....put down on of her books before I have read it completely. This is her best work. The characters....Joshua and Adelaide are done to perfection, they come to life through her carefully chosen words. The characters and their story remain in your mind...and in your heart long after you have finished the book.